Washing-machine gearing.



2 SHEETS-SHEET I- ]Patented .I une 20, 1916.

` w. H. Voss. WASHING MACHINE GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED DEC- 7,1911.

W. H. VOSS.

WASHING MACHINE GEARING.

APPLICATION FILED 056.1. I9II.

Patented June 20, 1916.

, 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

\\ I D QQ IN N HIM .IIIHHHHHHHH u I WASHING-MACHNE GEAEING.

Application led December 7, 1911.

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, WILLIAM lul. Voss, a citizen ofthe United States, residing at Davenport, in the county of Scott and State of lowa, have invented new and useful lmH provements in Washing-Machine Gearings, of which the following is a specification.

lt is theiobject of the present invention to provide a gearing adapted for use in connection with washing machines and wringers, particularly of the power driven type and having improved means for oper tively connecting and dis-connecting the driving elements with the agitator ofthe washing machine and also for changing the connections to the wringer at the will of the operator so that the wringer may be started in either direction or held idle, if desired.

For a better understanding of the present invention, reference may be had to the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, whereini Figure 1 is a side elevation of a washing machine complete with its gearing. Fig. 2 is a section through the machine below lthe tub, showing the lo-wer platform or support in plan view. Fig. 3 is an elevation at right angles to that of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 illustrates the internal gear used between the belt driven fly wheel and the main shaft of the gearing. Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation through the clutches and gears along the main shaft of the gearing.

ln the drawings, the washing machine comprises the usual tub 1, mounted on four legs which are connected together near their lower ends, by a platform or support 2 on which much of the gearing mechanism is mounted. An electric motor 3 or other suitable motor device is mounted on this platform and connected through a belt l with the main driving' pulley 5. This driving pulley is of massive construction as shown in Fig. 5 and serves as the fly-wheel of the gearing. It is mounted to freely rotate on the main shaft 6 and has wide hubs at either side, one of said hubs carrying a spur gear 7 for meshing with a traveling gear 8, fastened by a 'stud 9, to a rotatable gear cover 10. rlhis gear cover forms a closure fora stationary internal gear 11 fastened to plat form 2 by lmeans of a suitable bracket 12 and having .a bearing on the hub of Hy wheel 5 between the web of that wheel and 'Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented tune 2th, 1h16.

sei-iai no. ece/isa spur gear 7. rlhe gear cover is secured to the main shaft 6 by means of a transverse pin 13 and consequently serves to drive the main shaft when pulley 5 is rotated by means of motor 8, the speed of the main shaft being less than that of pulley 5 because of the reduction at the internal gear.

As a means for connecting the main shaft 6 with the agitator or dolly of the washing machine, there is provided a clutch 14 fixed to rotate with shaft 6 because of a pin 15, but free to slide thereon so that its ratchet face may be brought into driving engagement with a sleeve 16 connected to a crank 17 to which is pinned a 'connecting rod or link 18 of curved outline, which passes under the tub and is pivotally connected with an operating lever 19. This lever 19 is pivotally mounted from the side of the tub by means of a bracket 20 and has an upwardly and outwardly extending arm in the form of a socket 21, into which a wooden handle may be fitted, if desired. This upwardly extending arm is pivotally connected with the usual driving rack 22 which engages with a spur gear on the top of the agitator or dolly shaft and serves to drive that agitator with a periodically reversing movement.

The main driving sha-ft G is supported in horizontal position above platform 2 by means of end bearings, one of which, indicated at 23, carries a lateral extension 24 to serve as a pivotal support for a hand lever 25, the grooved inner end 2G of which is notched to engage with a flange on the clutch member 14, so that when the lever is swung from side to side, the clutch is thrown into or out of engagement with sleeve 16, there-- by connecting or disconnecting the driving means of the agitator within the tub.

The outer end of lever 25 passes through a slotted plate 27 having two depressed notches, one for the neutral and the other for the driving positions of the lever. At the other end of the driving shaft 6 is a bracket casting 28 serving as a bearing for that end of the driving shaft, and having a transverse bearing 29 for supporting a bevel gear of the wringer driving mechanism as hereinafter described.

rlhe driving connections for the wringer include a bevel gear 30 and a combined bevel gear and sprocket wheel 31 both loosely mounted on main shaft 6 and each perma- Ott nently in driving engagement with a bevel Wheel 32, having its supporting stud mounted lin bearing 29. A clutch member 33 is secured to the shaft 6 by a pin 34 but is free to slide longitudinally so that a ratchet face at either end of the clutch may be brought into driving engagement with a similar face on eachof the gears 30 or 31. A yoke 35 engages with an annular groove in the clutch and serves as the means for shifting the clutch at the will of the operator. Yoke 35 is mounted on the up-turned end of a hori- Zontal shifting rod 36 passing along the platform 2 through guide-ways 37 and pivotally connected at its other end with a shoe 38 which is pivoted to one end of a bellcrank or rocker 39. The other end of this crank is slotted to engage with a pin carried by a sleeve 40 from whichthere depends a foot pedal 41. Sleeve 40 is secured on a vertical control bar 42 by means of transverse pins 43 and 44, one above and the other below the sleeve. A coiled spring 45 normally pushes upward on the sleeve and the control bar.

The upper end of control rod 42 is bent outward forming a handle and engages with a cam plate 46. When the control-lever is at mid vposition of the cam slot, the foot lever 41 will be in its mid position and the wringer clutch will bein neutral position out of engagement with either bevel gear. By pushing downward on the foot pedal 41 or by pushing downward on the control rod 42, the clutch 33 will be shifted toward bevel gear 31 and by driving that gear will I drive the .sprocket chain 47 and the horizontal wringer shaft 48.

A release of the foot pressure on the foot pedal will allow spring 45 to restore all the parts to their normal or neutral position.

An upward pull on control-rod 42 at the cam plate 46 will shift the ywringer clutch to the other side and give full driving connection for reverse rotation. When control rod 42 is in its uppermost position, the spring 45 will serve to hold it in that position until manually restored to neutral.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a washing machine gearing, the combination of a roller shaft, a sprocket chain for driving said shaft, a bevel gear, a sprocket wheel for driving said chain and having a beveled surface in driving engagementwith said bevel gear, a driving shaft, said sprocket being loosely mounted on said drive shaft, a

v second bevel gear loosely mounted on said drive shaft, and a clutch connected to turn with said drive shaft and movable into engagement with one or the other of said bevel gears, to drive the said chain in eitherdirection, and a foot treadle operatively connected to shift said clutch at the will of the operator.

'2. The 4combination with a roller shaft, a driving means therefor, including a reverse clutch operatively connected to operate said shaft in either direction, a foot treadle for controlling said clutch, and a control rod operatively connected with said treadle and also effective for manuallyv controlling the position of said clutch.

3. In a washing machine gearing, a wringer driving means including a reversible lclutch, a shifting connection for said clutch, a foot treadle operatively positioned to actuate said shifting connection, a control rod connected with said treadle, a cam governing the movement of said control rod, and a spring coperating with said treadle to hold the driving clutch in desired position for governing the movement of said driving connection.

4. The combination with a roller shaft, a chain driving means therefor, a reverse clutch operatively connected to operate said driving means in either direction and a foot treadle for controlling said clutch.

5. Thecombination with a roller shaft, a reversing gearing therefor, a sliding clutch, a foot treadle, a crank, and link connections between said treadle and said sliding clutch member to shift said clutch member when said treadle'is depressed.

6. In a washing machine gearing, the' gear carried by said driving pu ley, a gear cover carried by the said shaft, a traveling gear carried by said gear cover and adapted to mesh with said spur gear and internal gear, a pair of bevel gears loosely mounted upon said shaft, a bevel gear mounted upon said support and meshing with said bevel gears, and chain driving means connected with one of said bevel gears, a clutch member slidably mounted-upon said shaft and keyed thereto, and means for operatively connecting said clutch member with the bevel gears mounted upon said shaft, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

7. In a washing machine, a combination of a support, a shaft mounted in bearings on said support, means for driving said shaft, said means including an inclosed internal speed reducing gear, a clutch slidably mounted upon said shaft, means connected to said clutch whereby the same may be made to operatively connect or disconnect the driving mechanism and shaft.

8. The combination with a roller shaft, a reversing gearing therefor, including a clutch, a horizontally extending rod connected to said clutch, a treadle operatively connected to said rod, a hand operated lever menace ,L,

connected to said rod, and means whereby the treadle and hand operated lever may independently operate the clutch.

9. The combination with a roller shaft, a reversing gearing therefor, comprising a clutch, a rod for operating said clutch, a vertically extending lever operatively connected to said rod and a foot treadle carried by the lever and connected to the rod for the purpose specified.

10. In combination with a roller shaft, a reversing gearing therefor, comprising a sliding clutch, a horizontally extending roel operatively connected to the clutch, a vertically sliding sleeve operatively connected to said rod, a foot treadle carried by saidsleeve, and a hand operated lever operatively connected to said sleeve for. the purposes specied.

' 11,. The combination with a support, a roller shaft journaled thereupon, a reversing gearing for the roller shaft, comprising a sliding clutch, a bell crank carried by the support, means for operatively connecting the bell crank with the clutch, a vertical operating rod, a sleeve slidably mounted upon said rod and operatively connected to said bell crank, means whereby the rod may operate the clutch and means carried by the slidable sleeve whereby the clutch may be operated independently of the rod.

12. The combination with a support, of a roller shaft journaled thereupon, a reversing gearing, comprising a clutch for connecting said gearing with the shaft, a horizontally extending rod mounted upon the support and operatively connected to the clutch, a bell crank mounted upon the support and operatively connected to said bar, a vertical controll rod carried by the support, a sleeve slidably mounted upon said rod and operatively connected to the bell crank, a foot treadle carried by the sleeve, means for normally holding the sleeve in a raised position whereby the vertical control rod may operate the same and the foot treadle being adapted to operate the sleeve independently of the vertical control rod for the purpose specified.,

13. The combination with a support, of bearings supported thereupon, a shaft journaled within said bearings, a driving pulley loosely mounted upon the shaft, a spur gear loosely mounted on said shaft and rigid with said driving pulley, an internal gear fiXedly mounted adjacent said spur gear, a gear cover keyed to the shaft, a gear carried by the cover-and in mesh with the spurV gear and the internal gear, a reversing mechanism carried by the shaft and interposed between one of the bearings and the driving pulley to reverse the effective action of the driving shaft.

14. In apparatus of the class described, a support, a shaft journaled therein, a driving element loosely mounted on said shaft, a speed reducing device operatively connecting said driving element and said shaft, a roller shaft and connections from said first mentioned shaft to said roller shaft.

15. ln apparatus of the class described, a Support, a shaft ournaled therein, a driving element loosely mounted on said shaft, a speed reducingdevice operatively connecting said driving element and said shaft, a roller shaft and connections from said first mentioned shaft to said roller shaft, including a clutch device.

ln Witness whereof, I hereunto subscribe my name to this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

Willman n, voss.

Witnesses WILLIAM E. Pues, GEORGE W. CARDINAL.

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